From the hexane extract of leaves, stem and roots, of Vellozia aff. carunculares, fourteen cleistanthane diterpenoids were detected by HRGC-MS, through the analysis of their fragmentation patterns. Comparison of their MS spectra with those of authentic standards previously isolated from other species of the family Velloziaceae allowed the identification, with a high degree of confidence, of eigth known cleistanthane diterpenoids. Of these, four were isolated and identified from their MS, IR and ¹H and 13C NMR spectra, as the known cleistantha-8,11,13-trien-7-one, cleistantha-8,11,13-trien-3,7-dione, cleistantha-1,8,11,13-tetraen-3,7-dione and the first reported 6-alpha-hydroxy-cleistantha-8,11,13-trien-7-one. The triterpenoid beta-amyrin was also isolated.

O uso de cromatografia sob pressão ("flash chromatography") utilizando-se coluna de gel de sílica impregnada com hidróxido de potássio levou ao fracionamento dos constituintes químicos de Copaifera cearensis Huber ex Ducke. A fração ácida, após esterificação com diazometano, foi analisada por cromatografia gasosa de alta resolução acoplada à espectrometria de massas ou à espectrometria no infravermelho, possibilitando a identificação de onze diterpenos ácidos. Fracionamentos adicionais da fração ácida por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência em fase reversa levaram ao isolamento de diversos ácidos diterpênicos e de um sesquiterpênico que foram identificados através de seus dados espectroscópicos. A análise da sílica impregnada com hidróxido de potássio mostrou que, além da deposição do hidróxido na superfície da sílica, ocorreu troca iônica com formação de resíduos Si-OK.

Various acid diterpenes of Copaifera cearensis Huber ex Ducke were isolated from the crude extract by flash Silica Gel/Potassium Hydroxide Chromatography. The main components were identified by GC-MS analyses. Further fractionation by reversed phase (RP) semi-preparative HPLC allowed isolation and identification of minor components and provided additional spectral data of those compounds. It was possible to detect the presence of eleven acid diterpenes in addition to a sesquiterpene acid. In addition to potassium hydroxide deposition on the silica surface, the presence of Si-OK residues, resulting from a cation exchange process, was established.

Copaiba oil is a resin extracted from the trunk of trees of Copaifera species which grow in Brazil where it is widely used in popular medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic anti-bactericidal, diuretic, dermatological, expectorant, and anti-infective. The comparative study of the composition of commercial copaiba oils was carried out by high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) and high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HRGC-MS) analysis. The commercial oils were compared with authentic oils, collected from the southeast and northern regions of Brazil. Sixteen commercial oils were analysed and two of them revealed adulterations with fatty acids. Using the chromatographic profile of authentic copaiba species oils, it is possible to analyse commercial oils and determine the authenticity of these materials.